1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear cushion devices and more specifically it relates to a shock absorption and energy return assembly for increasing the overall performance of a shoe by increasing its stability, shock absorption and energy return capabilities.
Footwear, such as athletic shoes, are utilized by millions of individuals throughout the world. Athletic shoes are utilized in sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball, track and football. When utilized in extreme environments such as athletic shoes are often utilized in, significant stress is placed upon the user""s bones and joints throughout their entire body, eventually leading to serious injury to the user. Hence, there is a need for a shoe that reduces the amount of shock received by the user. Additionally, there is a need for a shoe that enhances an athletes performance by returning a portion of the energy applied to the footwear back to the user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Footwear cushion devices have been in use for years. Typically, footwear includes a rubber sole, a mid-sole attached to the rubber sole, and an upper. The upper is generally constructed of leather or similar material. The mid-sole is generally constructed of a resilient foamed polyurethane type material for cushioning the user""s foot during use. The mid-sole, particularly in the rear portion, will often times have a reticulated structure for providing increased flexibility and resilience. Some brands of footwear include a pressurized bag located in the heel portion for providing increased cushioning during utilization.
While these devices may be suitable for the purpose of cushioning a shoe, they are not as suitable for increasing the overall performance of a shoe by increasing the stability and energy return properties of the footwear. There are several prior art shoes that attempt to address the objectives achieved by the instant invention herein disclosed. However, most of these prior art references fail in practicality, commercial feasibility, and in some cases, general principal. Even in the case where the prior art can be manufactured to function, the function achieved would be inferior, and the costs and complexity to produce them substantial, in relation to the instant invention.
Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,552 discloses springs within the forefoot portion of an athletic shoe. Additionally, the shoe contains an air bladder and air passage that is designed to allow air to travel in an out of the air bladder. This patent teaches no way of retaining the springs in a controlled manner within the footwear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,448 discloses a removable, sealed insole cassette containing springs. The cassette is made of a resiliently flexible encasement additionally serving as a method of retaining the said springs. This configuration, while providing a means of retaining the springs, will not provide adequate function since the resilient nature of the encasement will not provide the necessary torsional stability required of an athletic shoe. It is also evident from the disclosure as well as the overall design, that the device is meant exclusively as a cushioning aid, since the resilient cassette is the primary feature of the device and would limit the capability of the enclosed compression springs from providing a means of returning any substantial portion of energy applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,431 discloses removable springs in conjunction with a foam insert placed within an aperture of a mid-sole. As in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,552, this patent also does not teach a way of physically retaining the springs in a controlled manner within the mid-sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,383 discloses an insert containing a plurality of elastically deformable interconnected polygonal elements. This is the only patent of the referenced group that is produced commercially. Fila USA refers to it as the 2A System. This system does not disclose or imply the use of traditional spring elements and provides minimal, if any, energy return capabilities. Also, as in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,448, this design does not disclose a method of providing torsional stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,278 discloses an air bag containing a plurality of spring chambers and an air pressure adjustment means. While this patent does teach a way of retaining the springs in a spaced relationship within the airbag, this patent differs substantially in form and function from the instant invention in that it does not provide any guide members for the purpose of allowing the springs to function in tandem, or to provide lateral or torsional stability. Also, similar to the U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,448, the airbag is the primary means of retaining the springs. When inflated with the necessary air pressure to maintain stability of the airbag, the enclosed compression springs would be dampened to a point whereas they could not return any substantial portion of energy applied.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,901 discloses a footwear assembly comprising springs and opposing magnets. In the illustrated configuration, it is highly unlikely that the device could be produced. Because of the overall complexity and bulk of the disclosed device, even if production were possible, its functional capabilities would be inferior, and the costs and complexity to produce it substantial, in relation to the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,374 shows a spring assembly contained within a transparent retaining bracket made of an undisclosed hard material. This configuration provides no resiliency to the assembly, and therefore prevents the device from providing any energy return capabilities. Additionally, even if a more resilient material were to be used to house the assembly, the reference does not disclose a method, nor is one readily apparent from reviewing the specification, of being able to substantially secure the assembly within the mid-sole and the upper portion of the shoe.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,669,038 discloses an early adaptation of a shock absorbing heel. While innovative for the period, the obvious drawbacks of the mechanism are that it is complex, bulky and would have been very labor intensive to produce. Additionally, the mechanism functions in a different manner, and with markedly different results, than that disclosed by the instant invention. In the disclosed configurations, the device requires substantially more components and additional manufacturing processes in order to achieve its desired function. Even if more modern day materials and techniques were to be implemented into the design, the device would still not achieve a similar function or appearance to that of the instant invention without departing from the scope of the patents claims.
In respect to the aforementioned prior art, the shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes according to the present invention substantially departs from these and other conventional concepts and designs, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of increasing the overall performance of a shoe by increasing its stability, shock absorption and energy return capabilities in a safe, durable, cost effective, and commercially viable manner.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of footwear cushion devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes construction wherein the same can be utilized for increasing the overall performance of a shoe by increasing the stability, shock absorption, and energy return properties of the footwear at the heel and forefoot section.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that has many of the advantages of the footwear cushion devices mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art footwear cushion devices, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, one embodiment of the present invention generally comprises lower and upper guide members having a plurality of spring retainers, a plurality of springs positioned within the spring retainers, and a resilient connecting member which fixedly attaches the lower guide member to the upper guide member and serves to limit the separation between the guide members, preventing disengagement of the springs from within the guide members while simultaneously providing a means of allowing the springs to compress below their uncompressed height when a force is applied on the assembly.
In a further embodiment, the footwear comprises a forward shock absorption and energy return assembly situated at a point beneath the ball of the foot, and a rear shock absorption and energy return assembly situated at a point beneath the heel of the foot. Each assembly comprises a resiliently strong upper guide member having a plurality of spring retainers, a resiliently strong lower guide member having a plurality of spring retainers, and a plurality of compression springs positioned within the guide members, with a resilient connecting member fixedly attached between the guide members. Additionally, the lower guide members are integrally attached by a medial connecting member.
In yet a further embodiment, the springs positioned at an inside portion of the sagittal plane of the assembly are of a different spring rate than the springs of the outside portion, providing for a means of pronation control to the footwear. Conversely, the springs positioned at an outside portion of the sagittal plane of the assembly could be of a differing spring rate than the springs of the inside portion, providing for a means of supination control to the footwear.
In another embodiment, the assembly could be surrounded by a sealed, transparent encasement, which would comprise a lower portion and an upper portion surrounding the lower guide member and the upper guide member, and a plurality of lower extrusions and upper extrusions. The extrusions would extend into a plurality of apertures contained within the guide members as well as the plurality of compression springs positioned between the guide members, and would be adjoined. The encasement could be filled with a pressurized gas for added stability and dampening of the springs.
In all embodiments, the inventive allows great manufacturing versatility in that it can be inserted and bonded into the mid-sole in a pre-formed cut-out, or optionally, it can be molded within the mid-sole during the mid-sole manufacturing process. It can be situated at the heel portion, the forefoot portion, or both portions of the mid-sole of a shoe, with the mid-sole optionally having one or more openings to allow a means of viewing the inventive device in operation.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that will overcome the short comings of the prior art devices.
An more specific primary objective is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that efficiently receives and substantially returns forces incurred by the shoe.
Another objective is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that absorbs a substantial amount of the force incurred by the shoe.
A further object is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that provides significant lateral stability to the shoe.
An additional object is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that can be specifically tuned to effectively address pronation or supination inefficiencies by way of varying the spring rates at specific regions within the assembly.
Another object is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that can be manufactured into a singular enclosed unit.
A further object is to provide a shock absorption and energy return assembly for shoes that utilizes springs for receiving and releasing energy from and into the shoe.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.